Department for Transport

Transport

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the development of an open and competitive “mobility as a service” market.

baroness sugg: The recent Future of Mobility Grand Challenge Call for Evidence asked respondents to raise market and regulatory considerations for new mobility services, including Mobility as a Service. The Government is currently considering the evidence and will publish its response early next year.

Transport

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have taken steps to encourage relevant service providers to develop a common ride hailing protocol; and if so, what discussions, and with whom, they have had to this end.

baroness sugg: The Government supports choice for consumers, and wants to see both taxis and private hire vehicles prosper. The means by which these services are engaged is, subject to meeting the relevant legislative requirements, a matter for the operator and the user.

Leader of the House of Lords

Peers: Correspondence

lord greaves: To ask the Leader of the House whether there is a protocol relating to whether letters to ministers from members of the House of Lords should receive replies; and if so, how quickly replies should be sent.

baroness evans of bowes park: The Government recognises the importance of effective and timely handling of correspondence with members of the House of Lords. Government departments should aim to provide a substantive response to routine correspondence within a maximum of 20 working days. However, sometimes circumstances dictate that it will not be possible to provide a response within this timeframe. In such instances, departments are advised to issue a ‘holding’ response until a more substantive response can be provided.The Cabinet Office publishes an annual report detailing departmental performance in the handling of correspondence from members of both Houses. Lord Young of Cookham set out the 2017 performance figures in a Written Statement on 26 June 2018 (HLWS771). The 2018 performance figures will be published in summer 2019.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Ryan Cornelius

lord clement-jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the release of Matthew Hedges, whether the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa has had direct contact with the Head of the Ruler's Court in Dubai regarding the case of Ryan Cornelius.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers of State raises consular cases in the United Arab Emirates through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where a case does require official action and the FCO is asked to raise it.

Sudan: Conflict Resolution

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of senior officials of the National Congress Party in Sudan, including President al-Bashir, discussing blackmail and other tactics to achieve a settlement in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile; and whether such reports will influence their engagement with the government of Sudan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of documents purporting to show records of private conversations that have been circulating on social media in Sudan. It is not possible to ascertain the veracity of these documents. The UK continues to press all sides to engage with AU-led international mediation efforts, and to negotiate in good faith to reach a lasting peace agreement in Sudan's conflict areas.

Turkey: Detainees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the (1) continued detention of Selahattin Demirtas despite the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, and (2) its compliance with international standards in relation to the detention and jailing of other politicians, journalists and civil servants.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have not made representations about the detention of Selahattin Demirtas since the European Court of Human Rights ruling, though we have followed his case and made a number of attempts to observe his trials. We have repeatedly raised with the Turkish authorities the need for any legal processes, including those against MPs, to be conducted fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law. We have also encouraged the Turkish authorities to ensure that the appeals process for civil servants and others dismissed in the aftermath of the July 2016 coup attempt proceeds swiftly and transparently given the large number of cases still awaiting assessment.

Turkey: Politics and Government

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey about proceedings to lift the parliamentary immunity of Pervin Buldan and three other MPs.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have not made representations about this specific case, though we have repeatedly raised with the Turkish authorities the need for any legal processes, including those against MPs, to be conducted fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law.

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of who may be responsible for killings and burning down of villages in southern Cameroon during the current conflict.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the Anglophone regions, which continue to suffer from high levels of violence and human rights abuses and violations perpetrated by both security forces and armed separatists. The British Government is equally concerned by the razing of villages. We have raised our concerns with the Cameroonian authorities and we continue to call for restraint and an end to violence from all sides. We are working closely with the wider international community, including the UN, to build as full and accurate a picture as possible. The complex and deep-rooted historical nature of the situation reinforces the urgent and imperative need to tackle the underlying issues in the Anglophone regions. This is why we continue to encourage efforts to pursue an inclusive dialogue to address the root causes of the crisis - the only means through which long-term stability in the region can be achieved.

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of Cameroon and France in relation to the violence being perpetrated in southern Cameroon.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned about the situation in Cameroon and the deteriorating security situation in the Anglophone regions of the country. Minister Baldwin visited Cameroon in February 2018 when she met the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers and reinforced the importance of respecting human rights in a challenging security environment. In her statement following elections in Cameroon, Minister Baldwin called for all parties to engage in a peaceful and structured process leading to constitutional reforms, as previously set out by the President, and to avoid excessive use of force. Minister Baldwin has discussed the violence in the Anglophone regions with French Minister Lemoyne, who shares UK concerns. The Minister for Africa pressed these points again when she met the Secretary General of the Presidency on Thursday 3 May. The UK will continue to work alongside the international community to encourage and support efforts to resolve the Anglophone crisis.

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have conducted with the Commonwealth Heads of Government about the conflict in southern Cameroon; what response they received; and whether Commonwealth Heads of Government have considered deploying their conflict resolution team to southern Cameroon.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: During the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London in April the then Foreign Secretary and Minister for Africa met Cameroonian counterparts, reminding them of the obligations placed upon Cameroon by the Commonwealth Charter. There have not been recent discussions with Commonwealth counterparts. The Commonwealth is one of a number of multilateral organisations who are placed to support the Government of Cameroon to initiate a meaningful and inclusive dialogue and in December 2017 the Commonwealth secretariat Baroness Scotland visited Cameroon to discuss the Anglophone crisis.

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the government of Rwanda could play a role in negotiating a sustainable resolution to the conflict in southern Cameroon asthe next host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting and a francophone member.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK continues to work alongside the international community, including a range of African partners to encourage urgent efforts to resolve the Anglophone crisis. Given Cameroon’s status as a Commonwealth member, the Commonwealth is one of a number of organisations who could be well placed to support the Government of Cameroon to initiate a meaningful and inclusive dialogue to address the root causes of the crisis.

Nigeria: Elections

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking ahead of presidential elections in Nigeria in February 2019 to help to strengthen the commitment to democratic values within the Nigerian political process.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is committed to supporting democracy in Nigeria. We are monitoring the situation closely and continue to stress publicly and privately at the highest levels the importance of elections being free, fair, peaceful and credible in order to deliver national stability, peace and prosperity for all Nigerians. The UK will also deploy an election observation mission.The Department for International Development has allocated £47.4 million to its Deepening Democracy in Nigeria Programme between 2014 and 2020. UK support includes technical assistance to the Independent National Electoral Commission to improve management of the electoral process, voter participation and participatory governance, including by marginalised groups such as women, the disabled and young people. The UK is also supporting the National Assembly to pass legislation that promotes and protects democratic rights and to do so in a way that involves the participation of citizens generally, and in particular under-represented groups.

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of the independence referendum held in Cameroon in 1961 on the current conflict between anglophone and francophone groups in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK recognises the outcome of the 1961 referendum organised by the UN in which British Southern Cameroons (the modern Anglophone regions) voted to join La Republique du Cameroun. UNGA Resolution 1608(XV) endorsed the result of the plebiscite in Southern Cameroons. The UK respects the territorial integrity of Cameroon. The causes of the current crisis are deep-rooted and historically complex. We recognise that the history of this conflict includes the impact of constitutional changes following independence, particularly on the cultural and political status of the Anglophone minority.

Department for Education

Schools: Mental Health

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the work undertaken by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust on mental health in schools.

lord agnew of oulton: The department is supportive of the work that the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust does to raise the profile of depression and mental health issues in children and young people and to encourage discussion of the subject. Officials from the department have met members of the trust and the Charlie Waller Institute on several occasions to discuss the support they offer and the training they have developed for schools, supported by funding from Health Education England.Both organisations have been involved in stakeholder events to discuss mental health policy; they were also invited to attend the consultation events for the Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision Green Paper. The department will continue to engage with the Charlie Walker Memorial Trust as the green paper proposals are reviewed, and as the support that can be offered to schools for delivering the new requirement to teach all pupils about mental health is being considered.

Schools: Mental Health

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the current educational system's (1) use of early testing, (2) exam focus, and (3) practice of comparing pupils with each other, on the creation of a positive environment for the mental health of both pupils and teachers.

lord agnew of oulton: Assessments, including the national curriculum tests at key stages 1 and 2 and GCSE and A level exams, are an essential part of ensuring that children and young people are taught the knowledge and skills they need in order to succeed in further study and in later life. Statutory assessments at key stages 1 and 2 help teachers to understand how their pupils are performing against national expectations and enable them to identify where extra support may be needed. Both these statutory assessments and the qualifications taken at secondary level enable the government to hold schools and colleges to account, and in doing so help to ensure that they offer a high quality education to all their pupils, regardless of background or prior attainment. Tests and exams can be a time of heightened emotions for pupils and teachers, but they are not meant to cause stress and anxiety. Schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, but this should not be at the expense of their wellbeing. They should also provide appropriate support as part of a whole school approach to supporting the wellbeing and resilience of pupils.

Schools: Mental Health

lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the extra resources they have provided to schools to prevent and tackle mental health problems will be effective.

lord agnew of oulton: The government recognises the importance of schools and colleges having access to expertise relating to mental health and wellbeing. The new Mental Health Support Teams that the government is introducing to support groups of schools can help to provide that expertise. The teams will consist of staff trained in evidence-based interventions, supervised by clinically-trained staff. The rollout of the new teams will start with a trailblazer project that will be evaluated. The trailblazers will test how teams work with schools, to ensure the additional support is benefitting schools and their pupils. The department is also trialling five school-based approaches to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. This large programme will provide schools with evidence on the effectiveness of different types of provisions. It will also review how these interventions can be delivered effectively in a school setting.

Children in Care

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 27 November (HL11468) that 41 per cent of children in care are being placed outside the area of the local authority responsible for their care and safety, what action they are taking to ensure that children placed in care retain contact with their wider family and are able to attend the school with which they are familiar.

lord agnew of oulton: Local authorities have a duty to promote contact not only between looked-after children and their parents, but also with relatives, friends, and others connected to the child, provided that this contact is in the child’s best interests. Children in care must have access to high quality education provision, wherever they are placed. The responsible local authority must do everything possible to arrange a care placement that allows the child to continue in their existing educational provision, even if they can no longer live in the immediate area. However, it is sometimes necessary to place a child away from their local area and school, for example to disrupt sexual exploitation or gang violence. Work is already under way to improve commissioning of placements. This includes providing funding through part of our £200 million Children’s Social Care Innovation programme to projects in London to increase councils’ capacity, so that fewer children are placed far away from home.

Manufacturing Industries: Training

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to invest in the development of workers’ skills to help boost productivity in the manufacturing sector.

lord agnew of oulton: We are committed to making the UK one of the best places in the world to grow a manufacturing business. Through our Industrial Strategy, we will make sure that we are using all the tools we have to stimulate manufacturing growth. That includes using major new investment in research to support innovative manufacturing businesses across the country and encouraging inward investment into the parts of the country where we need increased growth.We are working with employers to jointly design and deliver policies and programmes, which will make the skills system more responsive to employer needs, while giving individuals the skills they need to succeed.This includes making apprenticeships longer, better, with more off-the-job training and proper assessment at the end, as well as introducing T levels, which will offer a high quality and rigorous technical alternative to academic education. We are also establishing Institutes of Technology to help meet higher level technical skills needs. In addition, we are developing a new National Retraining Scheme; an ambitious, far-reaching programme, which will give adults the skills they need to thrive as the economy changes.Information on the UK’s Industrial Strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/the-uks-industrial-strategy.

Further Education: Capital Investment

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for extending the £400 million of extra capital funding for schools, announced in this year's autumn statement, to further education colleges; and whether they have any plans to provide such funding in future.

lord agnew of oulton: My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that £400 million will be made available to schools in 2018-19. This funding is not available to further education (FE) colleges, as these receive capital funding in a different way from schools.FE colleges are eligible for capital funding via the £12 billion Local Growth Fund, of which £130 million is for skills capital. This is administered by Local Enterprise Partnerships. The government has also recently announced £38 million capital funding for the first providers of T levels. We understand the pressure FE colleges are facing and are considering future capital funding arrangements for FE colleges through the Spending Review in 2019.

Children in Care

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 27 November (HL11468 and HL11469), what action they are taking to require local authorities to provide high quality provision in their own areas for the children and young people for whom they have parental responsibilities.

lord agnew of oulton: Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure there is sufficient accommodation for looked-after children in their area. Although there is no requirement for local authorities to provide accommodation in their own area, they may place children in provision offered by the private and voluntary sectors, and placement location is one of the factors that they must take into account when identifying a suitable placement for a child.The department is supporting a number of projects to increase capacity locally. Through our £200 million Children’s Social Care Innovation programme, we are funding projects that will increase the number of residential care placements available in London, where demand for placements outstrips supply.We are providing seed funding to three local authorities to set up new secure provision, where out of area placements are particularly common. In 2019, we will also be providing seed funding to fostering partnerships to increase their local sufficiency of foster parents.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

lord grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answers by the Chairman of Committees (Lord Laming) on 12 May 2016 (HL8153) and the Senior Deputy Speaker (Lord McFall of Alcluith) on 26 November (HL11454), why the cost of a Liberal Democrat hereditary peers' by-election, payable to Electoral Reform Services, has risen from £300 to £570.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The costs differ as, exceptionally, Electoral Reform Services were not involved in the print and distribution of the voting packs for the Liberal Democrat by-election in 2016. On that occasion, these tasks were handled by a member of House staff. The £570 figure quoted is from the successful tender submitted by Electoral Reform Services whom we expect to carry out all functions in future by-elections.

Ministry of Defence

Patrol Craft

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the (1) basing, and (2) manning plans for HM Ships Severn, Mersey and Tyne.

earl howe: The Noble Lord will be aware of the Secretary of State's announcement of 22 November 2018, that HM Ships Severn, Mersey and Tyne will forward-operate from their namesake rivers, including Newcastle, Liverpool and the Cardiff area. Under current plans, their base port remains Portsmouth. The Royal Navy does not release information concerning the detailed manning requirements for operational vessels as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Batch 1 River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels have a complement of 44.

Former Prime Ministers: Military Aircraft

lord stevens of ludgate: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 20 November (HL11338), what percentage of the cost of the use of the RAF Voyager aircraft was spent on transporting former Prime Ministers in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18.

earl howe: Costs for the use of the RAF Voyager aircraft are only associated with the principal passenger and any former Prime Minister would not be entitled to travel as the principal passenger.The Cabinet Office transparency data publications for the period requested, which include travel, are available on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications#2016 .

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey plan to undertake a comprehensive review of the impact of Universal Credit on vulnerable groups; and if so, what are their plans.

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Equality Impact Assessment of Universal Credit will be updatedto include lessons learned from theareas in which full service has been rolled out; and if so, when.

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they planto secure an independent full cost benefit analysis of Universal Credit; and if so, when.

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they planto monitor (1) the monetary, and (2) any other, impact of Universal Credit on (a) the wider health and social care systems, and (b) voluntary and community organisations.

baroness buscombe: We routinely publish reviews of Universal Credit. Testing of managed migration will commence in July 2019, before taking on larger volumes from 2020. In the first year of managed migration, we expect to only move 10,000 people. In our response the Social Security Advisory Committee on the 5th November we committed to conducting detailed Equality Assessments of migration plans. This is an iterative process and will be fully evaluated with equality impacts reassessed in accordance with the evaluation. We will publish an assessment of the impacts of managed migration prior to increasing the scale. These include the Universal Credit Impact Assessment (December 2012) and the Universal Credit Programme Full Business Case Summary (June 2018), which sets out the rationale for Universal Credit as well as the financial impacts it is expected to have. I will also take this opportunity to draw attention to a recent comparison between Universal Credit and the social welfare system in Finland. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report concludes that their universal credit approach for Finland would outperform their existing system and their proposed universal basic income, in terms of reducing poverty, providing a safety net, better targeting of finite resources and improved incentives to work. The OECD report is attached to this answer. We plan to publish a full evaluation of Universal Credit when it has been fully implemented.



OECD Article 28.2.18
(PDF Document, 225.41 KB)

Universal Credit

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants have additional support needs; and how are such claimants identified, monitored and supported.

baroness buscombe: The information requested is not currently held in a consistent format by the Department. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people who claim Universal Credit to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs. To assist identification and claimant support, each Jobcentre Plus site has a complex needs toolkit in place. These are maintained and reviewed locally and contain a named single point of contact for areas such as Homelessness, Care leavers and Prison leavers. Work coaches receive training to help them identify and support vulnerable claimants, building a relationship to encourage claimants to openly discuss any concerns or problems as they emerge. We have introduced a function to ‘pin’ key profile notes so they are instantly visible to all staff helping a claimant. To help claimants who may struggle using online services or managing a monthly payment, Universal Support is available. This is advice, assistance or support to help Universal Credit claimants with managing their claim or award of Universal Credit administered by Citizen’s Advice following our brand new partnership. We have also increased the numbers of Disability Employment Advisers who now provide additional support to the work coaches so they can better personalise support as we continuously improve the offer available.

Universal Credit

the lord bishop of newcastle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to address hardship caused in Universal Credit pilot areas, and (2) to ensure that the same impacts on debt and health are not caused by the future roll-out of Universal Credit.

baroness buscombe: Universal Credit Full Service has been introduced gradually in stages across the country since April 2017 with full roll-out completing this month. From 2019 onwards we will begin to manage migrate legacy benefit claimants to Universal Credit. DWP is working closely with stakeholders to design how we identify and support those claimants who will need extra help with the process of managed migration. This will begin with a lengthy period of careful introduction and will be at a small scale to ensure our processes are working effectively before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards. Once managed migration has been completed there will be an additional £2.1 billion spend per year on Universal Credit compared to the current legacy system. More severely disabled people will also receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average about £100 more per month and the managed migration regulations currently before Parliament, include transitional protections to ensure that no one loses out at the point of transition. Claimants may have pre-existing debts prior to claiming Universal Credit – for example rent arrears (which are usually temporary and are cleared over time). However, this year, following Autumn Budget 2017, we have implemented a comprehensive package of improvements. These include making advances of up to 100 per cent of the indicative award available (from the start of a claim), removing the 7 waiting days, providing an additional payment of 2 weeks of Housing Benefit to support claimants when they transition to Universal Credit, and changing how claimants in temporary accommodation receive support for their housing costs. We announced further support at Autumn Budget 2018. Work Allowances will increase by £1000 a year from next April. This will benefit working parents and people with disabilities – 2.4 million households will be up to £630 better off per year in a package worth £1.7bn by 2023/24. From July 2020, payment of the income related elements of Employment and Support Allowance, income based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. Finally, our new Universal Support partnership with Citizens Advice (CA) and Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) from April 2019 will deliver a high-quality and consistent service for our most vulnerable claimants, to assist them manage their Universal Credit claim, get paid on time and budget effectively.

Poverty

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of thereport by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation,UK Poverty 2018, published on 4 December, that 22 per cent of the population are in poverty; and what action they intend to take to remedy the situation.

baroness buscombe: The figure quoted by the Joseph Rowntree Trust in this report is taken from official national statistics on the number and proportion of people in low income published by the Department for Work and Pensions in March 2018. These statistics show that there are one million fewer people living in absolute poverty since 2010, including 300,000 children.This Government believes that the best way of tackling poverty is by building a strong economy and getting people into work. Adults in workless families are around 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those in working families. Children in workless households are around 5 times more likely to be in poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. Nationally, there are now over 3.3 million more people in work, around 964,000 fewer workless households, and around 637,000 fewer children living in such households compared with 2010. This is why we will continue with our reforms to the welfare system so that it encourages work whilst supporting those who need help.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, published on 14 November, whether they will appoint an independent commissioner to oversee the working of the administrative procedures under Article 18 for the issuance and administration of documents to persons applying for residence status in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: The draft Withdrawal Agreement already provides for an Independent Monitoring Authority to oversee implementation of Part 2 of the Agreement. This will be legislated for in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

European Arrest Warrants

lord bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether continued UK participation in the European Arrest Warrant is subject to the outcome of future negotiations; and which countries currently have legislative or constitutional restrictions on extradition to countries outside the EU.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK is seeking a comprehensive security relationship which preserves mutually important operational capabilities whilst allowing the UK and EU to continue to work together to combat fast evolving security threats.The Political Declaration, published on 26 November 2018, unequivocally recognises that both the UK and the EU need a strong future relationship on internal security given the shared threats we face, our geographical proximity, and the need to continue to protect all of our citizens from harm. The text specifically reflects that the UK and EU have agreed extradition as a priority area for our future cooperation.It will be for Member States to determine how they implement their rights and obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement or, in a no deal scenario, how they operate the 1957 European Convention on Extradition.

EU Immigration: Children

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thereportby the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund andInternational Organization for Migration,Refugee and Migrant Children in Europe Overview of Trends 2017, published on 2 May, and in particular of the report's findings that(1) in 2017, 32,963 refugee and migrant children arrived in Europe, of whom over 60 per cent were unaccompanied or separated from their families, (2) in 2017, 5,000 out of 17,000 unaccompanied children arriving in Italy went missing, and (3) in Greece, 600 unaccompanied children have been identified as street-homeless and 2,800 are in unacceptable conditions while awaiting a secure placement.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government takes the welfare of unaccompanied asylum seeking children extremely seriously and is fully committed to helping and supporting the most vulnerable children affected by the migration crisis.The UK provided protection to almost 6,400 children in 2017 and nearly 33,000 since the start of 2010. Of the 15,170 people granted asylum, protection and resettlement in the year ending September 2018, 6,394 (42%) were children. The UK currently hosts the fourth highest number of UASC in the EU.Children present in Greece and Italy are under the responsibility of the authorities of the country where they have arrived, and it would not be appropriate for us to comment on their actions.

Trespass

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to combat the unauthorised urban exploration of and criminal trespassing in high profile buildings.

baroness williams of trafford: The police have a range of powers to deal with criminal activity, which includes public order offences, aggravated trespass and anti social behaviour. There are also measures that can be taken to combat trespass through civil courts. When criminal activity does occur, the decision whether to arrest individuals is an operational matter for the police in line with their duties to keep the peace, to protect communities, and to prevent the commission of offences.The Home Office keep the available police powers under constant review and work closely with National Police Leads to ensure they are fit for purpose and allow the police to respond appropriately to a range of offences.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

baroness meyer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what scope the UK will have to negotiate and conclude third party trade agreements under the terms of the EU Withdrawal Agreement if the backstop provisions come into effect.

baroness fairhead: We would be free to operate our own independent trade policy during the backstop, including negotiating our own FTAs and implementing areas that don’t affect the functioning of the backstop - including services and investment.

Foreign Investment in UK

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to implement a long-term strategy to help attract foreign direct investment in UK small towns.

baroness fairhead: The Department for International Trade (DIT) has no Foreign Direct Investment strategy specifically for small towns. However, as part of the Department’s FDI Strategy, launched in April this year, DIT works with local partners through the High Potential Opportunities programme to identify emerging clusters, sub-sectors, supply chain gaps or other strategic opportunities that have the greatest potential to deliver economic benefits – across the whole of the UK. This includes local communities and small towns. The Department’s FDI strategy focuses on delivering new ways to target support for those FDI projects that create the most value for investors and the national wealth.

Overseas Trade: Turkey

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reviewed, or plan to review, the sale of arms and surveillance equipment to Turkey in the light of the current political and human rights situation in that country.

baroness fairhead: The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework for considering all applications to export military and surveillance equipment to Turkey. We will not grant a licence if to do so would be inconsistent with these criteria, including respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. The policy remains as announced to Parliament in a Written Ministerial Statement on 25 March 2014: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140325/wmstext/140325m0001.htm#14032566000018 and as updated in a Written Ministerial Statement on 13 September 2018: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-09-13/HCWS957/ . The UK has raised human rights issues with the Turkish government at the highest levels and the region is kept under review.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

European Union: Flags

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the EU flag is recognised by the UK; and which of the other member states of the EU recognise that flag.

lord ashton of hyde: There is no specific government policy regarding the flying of flags and no guidance is issued to Government Departments to routinely fly the EU Flag. However, for a number of years on 9th May, Government has celebrated Europe Day by flying EU member state flags including an EU Flag on Parliament Square. DCMS does not hold records on the flying of flags outside of the United Kingdom.